


Codicils and Consequences

by Mersheeple



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Apprenticeship, F/M, Life Debt, Slow(ish) Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:47:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27193993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple
Summary: He wrote the codicils into the Apprenticeship Agreement because he assumed they would send her running screaming from him. Somehow, they didn't and now he is stuck with the consequences he was not expecting.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 37
Kudos: 304





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chancc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chancc/gifts).



> Happy Birthday to my lovely friend Chancc! I hope you have a day that is as wonderful as you... <3

“Severus?” He internally groaned. Nothing good ever came from his name spoken in that Scottish brogue. He wondered how long he could hide behind the Daily Prophet, sitting in his usual wingback chair in the staffroom, before she would… Before he had a chance to finish that thought, she pushed the centre of the newspaper down and raised an eyebrow at him. Though he had perfected the manoeuvre himself, she was always going to be far and away the best at it. She even instilled the fear of God in _him_ when she gave him that look. He waved his hand in a pretence of cancelling a Muffliato charm.

“Minerva, did you want something?” He smiled at her, nothing more than an upwards quirk of one side of his lips and he knew that it would deflect at least some of her ire.

“She’s outside the staff room again, Severus. That’s the fourth day in a row. I’m going to have to insist that you talk to her yourself. No more sending one of the other staff members to do your dirty work.” Minerva quirked her eyebrow and pursed her lips, a sign that she was both displeased and amused that he thought he might be able to get away with it again. He sighed and folded his paper, placing it on the small side table next to his chair. He threw a small notice-me-not charm at his chair and Minerva huffed in annoyance.

“No one is going to steal your damn seat you insufferable man!” Minerva laughed softly as he stalked away, not missing the slight pause in his step as she called him insufferable. It had been his nickname before _that_ year and she had been quick to return to using it as a term of endearment. He pushed open the doors of the staff room and Minerva sighed, sitting in her own chair near the fire, still near Severus’s spot, but far enough that he could, and usually did, ignore her.

“Miss Granger, what are you doing here? Have you not bothered me enough today with your incessant hand waving?” Severus stood and glared at the scrap of a girl that had come back to school after the War and answered to the name Hermione Granger. She was too skinny, her hair too limp and dry, her skin too pale and wan, to be the Miss Granger everyone had expected.

“I’m here to, again, ask you for an Apprenticeship after my NEWTs. I…”

“No. The answer today is the same as yesterday. The same as the first day back. And the same as every single day between now and the end of the school year. I have never offered an Apprenticeship and I do not intend to start now. Now go and stop wasting my time.” He turned away, sick to the back teeth of having to repeat himself.

“You owe me.” Her voice was soft, but he heard it nonetheless and was furious that she dared bring up what had happened at the end of the War.

“I owe you nothing Miss Granger. You chose to save me. I did not, and would not, have asked. I owe you nothing.” He spoke with as much venom as he could muster, and she blinked twice at him before smiling sadly.

“Nonetheless, Sir, the magic says you owe me. I’m sure you can feel the Life Debt as well as anyone. I will consider the Life Debt fully paid once you take me on as your Apprentice.” Miss Granger smirked at him and he felt the tug in his chest. A Life Debt. For fuck’s sake, hadn’t he been through enough? And then he realised the way that she had worded her statement. He only had to take her on. She didn’t have to actually _finish_ the Apprenticeship to relieve him of the Life Debt. Perhaps that would be enough.

“Very well, Miss Granger. If you receive an O in at least 8 subjects, the same as your _Master_ , I will take you on as my Apprentice.” He raised an eyebrow at her as she sucked in a soft breath.

“Eight? Oh…” He smirked at her and she stood, mouthing something to herself as he turned and billowed back into the staff room, walking straight to the chair he preferred. He picked up his paper and waited. 3…2…1…

“So, Severus, did you tell her no again?” Minerva spoke softly and Severus snorted with derision.

“She invoked the Life Debt. She told me that if I gave her the Apprenticeship, she would consider the life debt fully paid. I gave her the same conditions as I always have. Only this time, I actually told her them rather than ignoring her.” Severus smirked, raising an eyebrow at the Headmistress.

“Oh dear…” Minerva’s eyes twinkled, and she smirked at him but refused to say anything more on the subject.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well...that was unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me giggle when I was writing it...Chancc love, I hope you smile too...

Nine. She had received nine _fucking_ O’s. She had beaten his scores completely. Even _with_ his purposeful grade of E in Potions. Bloody Insufferable little know-it-all! She had presented him with her grade sheet with nothing but a raised eyebrow and a soft little smile. He had frowned and had the Apprenticeship papers drawn up that night. Or rather, had drawn them up himself, adding extra codicils and conditions along the way as he practically bathed himself in Firewhiskey. He hadn’t even bothered checking them over the next morning, had just sent them to her at Grimmauld Place with his Long-Eared Owl.

“Severus Snape what _have_ you done?!” Minerva’s head appeared in his fireplace at Spinner’s End and he groaned. What did the harridan want now? He stood from his chair and moved towards the hearth. He cast the spell to open the connection fully and was unsurprised when Minerva stepped straight through into the dingy lounge.

“Severus Snape, what were you thinking when you gave Hermione those papers?” Severus blinked, his mind slightly slow on the uptake. His eyes widened slightly as he realised that, somehow, Minerva had a copy of Mis Granger’s Apprenticeship papers in her hand.

“I…uh…” He stumbled, feeling like a naughty schoolboy as he realised he could not remember any of the conditions he had added.

“‘Your uniform will be provided by Master Severus Snape for the duration of your Apprenticeship. Said uniform will consist of; three (3) black, navy or brown knee-length skirts, two (2) pairs of black, navy or brown trousers, five (5) white blouses, two (2) sets of black or navy robes and one (1) pair of Dragonhide boots. This uniform must be worn between the hours of 8:30 am and 8:30 pm, Monday through Friday.’ Severus you cannot be serious! Telling her what she has to wear and when? And that’s just the first clause! Some of these conditions are…well…they’re crazy!” Minerva huffed, flicking through to some of the later conditions and he realised he had been four or more drinks in by the time he had written the next clause she stopped on.

“‘It is a condition of this Apprenticeship that all Ministry functions must be attended by both Master and Apprentice in complimentary outfits.’ And look here…what about this clause here? ‘The Apprentice must collect all ingredients as required with The Master, regardless of time of year, time of day or moon phase. All instructions must be followed to the letter including, but not limited to, the expected dress code.’ _What_ dress code?” Severus snorted, barely holding in his mirth. There was absolutely no way at all the little know-it-all would be signing the paperwork. She had obviously taken her Apprenticeship papers directly to Minerva and asked the headmistress to intercede on her behalf.

“Those are my conditions. There are some ingredients that cannot be collected in the presence of certain materials. Miss Granger would have to be willing to eschew said materials on the nights those ingredients need to be collected. I am assuming that you are here to tell me that Miss Granger has declined the Apprenticeship, seeing as you have the papers in your hand.” Severus sniffed mockingly and rolled his eyes, holding his hand out for the paperwork so that he could get back to his Saturday plans of doing nothing at all.

“Oh no Severus. She signed them. You didn’t.” Minerva flipped to the final page and, sure enough, there was her signature in neat blue ink. The space for his signature was blank and he cursed, his eyes widening. It appeared, for the first time in his life, he was not to have a Master. Instead, he was to be one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 Thanks for sticking with me on this one loves!

The uniform he had procured for her was intended to be sexless. Somehow, once it was on her, that was not the case. Her skirts were a little shorter than he intended, clung a little tighter, rose up a little higher as she bent over. Her blouses were a little paler, a little shinier, a little more attractive than they had any right to be. And why in Merlin’s name he had allowed her to choose Dragonhide boots with a Cuban heel he didn’t know. They made her hips, hips he had only vaguely realised existed, sway. They made her taller, so she fit perfectly under his chin…not that he would know. But his body? Oh his body knew she would fit perfectly against him. It had measured her once, twice, a hundred times against his own height, the length of his own body. He knew she would fit perfectly against him, next to him, on top of him, underneath him.

“Professor Snape?” The voice at his elbow knocked him out of his reverie again and he swore that she had started wearing a new perfume. It smelled of sunshine and daisies and he didn’t understand how something could smell of fresh air.

“Granger, have you finished preparing the ingredients I left for you?” He had attempted to leave her to grind, slice, chop, desiccate and otherwise prepare over four hundred types of ingredients at the beginning of her apprenticeship. It was now only the third week of her Apprenticeship and she should not have come close to finishing.

“Not quite Sir. But I have come across a problem with one of the ingredients. I believe the Wolf’s Claw will interact poorly with my…” She paused, trailing off and looking uncomfortable. He could not place why she would feel awkward and raised an eyebrow, requesting she continue with an insolent roll of his fingers.

“…with my Muggle contraceptive Sir.” She blushed prettily and he felt heat suffuse the back of his neck, once more thankful that he kept his hair long. It was the only place that he had ever found that he could not control his reaction. Well, until the new Miss Granger came along. Then there were two places he could not control his reactions. Thank Merlin for long loose robes.

“Ah. Do you know how to prepare them?” Severus spoke softly and calmly, forcing all his thoughts behind his Occlumency shields. He had started having to use those around her after the first time she had bent over in front of him to pick up something from her bag on the floor.

“Not entirely Sir. I can read your instructions, but I learn better by watching…” She smiled slightly at him and he nodded, rising from behind his desk to join her in the laboratory. He had given her access to his private lab within two days of watching her methodically working in the Potions classroom. He moved to stand on one side of the bench and waited for her to take a seat directly in front of him, her quill and parchment in her hand, ready to make the most meticulous notes. He steadied himself with a breath before approaching the preparation as he would any other lecture.

“Wolf’s Claw, otherwise known as _Lycopodium clavatum_ is a widespread moss that has various varieties and variations throughout the world. The moss is used in many different potions and almost all its parts are useful. The leaves, as you will notice, are spirally arranged and must be removed carefully to keep them intact. Partial leaves are of no sodding use to anyone unless you want to destroy a few dozen cauldrons. The easiest way to remove the leaves and _only_ the leaves is with an anti-clockwise motion and the following spell; _Partorum Portiuncula_.” He waved his wand in a very simple set of movements, finishing with an anti-clockwise twist and was left with a pile of leaves and a long stalk. He repeated the motions five more times, stripping all the stalks of the leaves.

“So, what happens with the stalks after that Sir? And what about those other straight stalks?” Her voice was slightly breathless, something he had noticed happened occasionally and he wondered, not for the first time, if she was over-worked in this Apprenticeship.

“The stalks need to be milked. The sap of the Lycopodium clavatum is incredibly useful in Contraceptive Potions, specifically for people with menstrual cramps. It is also used in Arthritic Potions and in a Libido Potion alternative used almost exclusively by men.” He paused and stared at Hermione as his neck began to heat.

_I wonder if he has ever needed to use the Libido Potion._ He coughed, spluttering slightly as he heard her thoughts for the first time. The cheeky little wench! He was far too young, and sadly too celibate, to be using a Libido Potion.

“The roots are the only part of the plant that are utterly useless and so we milk from the root to the tip.” His neck warmed again, and her blush was not helping matters. For a moment, his eyes watched the blush and he wondered how far it went down her neck and chest. Would her blush reach the hint of curve on her breasts? Would it reach her pebbled nipples?

_Milking from root to tip…oh that shouldn’t make me think of those things…not with him…but…_ He heard her thoughts again and desperately wanted to say something but he felt more than a little tongue tied. He had never before read the thoughts of a female before and the whole thing left him baffled. He spoke slowly, his voice a deep and low drawl, the huskiness left by the snake’s attack making his voice gravelly.

“Give me something to put it in then Miss Granger.” He heard her soft gasp as he shakily indicated a jar on one of the shelves behind her. She blinked at him and nodded and he couldn’t help but watch her as she bent down to one of the tapered flasks, the curve of her arse making him consider biting his knuckle if he hadn’t been holding a vasodilator which he _certainly_ did not need to help with his Libido. She stood up and turned back around, his eyes roving up her body immediately and their eyes locked for just a moment before she thrust the flask at him with an uncomfortable glance away. He smirked, taking the flask from her hand and wishing, not for the first time, that he had the strength to allow his fingers to touch hers and linger just a little more.

“It is a fairly simple process. Start at the base of the root and slowly squeeze and roll your fingers along the length, applying pressure evenly. You must be slow otherwise the stalk will split, and you will have a liquid on you that is more potent than any other at provoking a libidinous response. The problem is you _must not_ wear Dragonhide gloves. They are too rough and will definitely split the stalk and waste the sap.” He slowly rolled the stalk in his bare hands and let the first thick clear droplets ooze slowly from the tip of the stem into the clear flask. He glanced at her through his thick black lashes and noticed her lips parting as she watched the liquid…no wait, she was watching his fingers as he stroked and massaged the stalk. Well, that was interesting. She never stopped watching his hands as he continued to press and stroke and milk the remaining stalks before he showed her, with equal care and attention, how to peel the pods and remove the spores to collect them and use in the Bombarda Potion and the Lumos Maxima Potion, recent additions to the Potions syllabus that had been created during the War as alternatives to the spells of the same names.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter...I love you all. <3

He almost made it out of the door. _Almost._ But not quite.

“Master Snape, where are you going?” It was almost seven o’clock and he had hoped that she was almost ready to leave and wouldn’t notice him leaving early. No such luck.

“I have ingredients to collect. The moon is waxing and there is a cave with my name on it.” He raised an eyebrow as she shifted her feet nervously.

“Would a second pair of hands help?” He looked her up and down and wished he could have said yes without feeling any guilt but he knew he had to give her a chance to refuse to travel with him.

“They would, but the plant I am trying to collect is Schistostega pennata, also known as Dragon’s gold. What do you know about the conditions of collection, Miss Granger?” He hoped she had read far enough in her books that he would not have to explain it to her. He could feel the back of his neck heating up at the very idea of explaining it.

“Schistostega pennata…that’s the luminous moss isn’t it? Found in caves and other dark areas it is the only naturally luminescent plant in the known world. Collection must be done within two days of the half moon, before the full moon. The moss must be collected _sine vestibus_ and…oh…umm…” Her cheeks flushed pink as she realised what she had said.

“Exactly, Miss Granger. Now, if you don’t mind…?” He smirked at her and turned to leave, her voice stopping him in his tracks.

“Can I come with you?” He wasn’t sure how to answer, knowing his words would choke him, knowing he wanted nothing more than to say _Please Merlin YES_ but he should give her a chance to retract her question. Instead, he nodded silently and hoped that she would forgive whatever his eyes did, wherever his thoughts led them.

They travelled in silence and he was thankful that the weather was kind to them when they arrived at the cave on the Irish coast. He stood in the mouth of the cave, breathing silently, keeping his wits about him as he waited to see how to approach this particularly tricky situation he had found himself in.

“How close can we get with our clothes on, Master Snape?” Hermione’s voice was soft, slightly husky, and he felt a certain part of him react almost immediately. _Well, fuck._

“Well…we should probably enter the primary chamber clothed and then st-st-strip there.” He hoped she hadn’t noticed the way he stumbled over the word but wasn’t holding his breath that he would be so lucky. She said nothing, humming softly as she cast a quiet Lumos and began to step delicately through the entrance of the cave and into the chamber beyond. Her voice called to him and he walked slowly behind her, begging his turgid cock to just _please_ show him a little mercy and calm the _fuck_ down. He stepped into the chamber and smiled slightly. This whole area was beautiful but the second chamber, which was worryingly through an ante-chamber that appeared to be full of water, was utterly stunning. He turned to look at Hermione and almost swallowed his tongue. He coughed and spluttered as she looked over her shoulder at him. Her very _bare_ shoulder.

“I’m assuming it’s through the very wet chamber?” She jerked her head in the direction of the ante-chamber and he nodded sharply, turning away as she bent over to undo her trainers and moving to find a rock outcropping to hide behind as he removed his own clothing. He neatly folded his frock coat so that he could sit on it while he unlaced his boots and removed his socks, tucking them inside for some semblance of warmth. He undid the buttons of his shirt with a brief wave of his wand and removed it hurriedly, folding it neatly and removing the thick vest he had worn underneath. He stood, squaring his shoulder as he divested himself of his trousers and boxers in one fell swoop. He folded them together and waited for his pretty little Apprentice to call to him. He felt his cock jerk at the sound of her voice and he tried desperately to cover the moan. He turned around to face her and saw her naked for the first time in front of him. All thoughts, all words left his mind and he began to stare, his eyes involuntarily drawn to the scar between her perfectly perky breasts.

“Dolohov. At the Department of Mysteries.” She smiled sadly as his eyes locked with hers and he nodded slightly, waving to the scar on his own hip.

“Dolohov. After the Department of Mysteries. When I told him that his spell must have been weak not to have killed you.” He smirked slightly at the remembered rage on Antonin’s face when Severus had healed himself in mere seconds, leaving the scar as a reminder of who was stronger.

“I had Silenced him.” She blushed, ducking her head as if embarrassed by her quick thinking, and he chuckled murmuring to himself about her being a “clever little swot”. She smiled sweetly and he half-smiled back at her. She turned her back on him and he gasped, spotting first the scar on her hip and then the intricate web of scars over her back that looked like she had been struck by lightning.

“Bellatrix. At Malfoy Manor. Same as this one.” She held her arm up and removed her glamour, showing him the word carved into her arm for the first time. He swore and she turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“If Molly Weasley hadn’t killed her, I would take great pleasure in doing it myself. Not just for your scars…” He took a breath, shakily waving his hand over his chest and removing his own glamours. His neck, as always, showed the snake bite but now, fully naked in front of her, his body was littered with scars. Most were obviously from spells but there were a few that were not. Hermione stepped towards him and reached towards the skin of his chest. He held his breath as her soft, slightly shaking, fingers touched the first word Bellatrix Lestrange had ever carved into his skin. She traced the letters and he felt his breath whoosh out of him in a gasp.

“Filth?” Her voice was soft and inquiring and he shrugged negligently, turning round to show her the other words carved into his skin. ‘Dirty’, ‘weak’, ‘scum’…words that once hurt him, she now traced her fingers over. As she touched him, he shivered from the sensation, and she hummed softly.

“You don’t believe these words do you, Severus? Not anymore?” She spoke quietly and he growled at the use of his name, stepping away from her and heading towards the water-filled ante-chamber. He heard her sigh but refused to look back. Thank Merlin she had not seen the last word he had had carved into him. At least that word was still hidden from her view. As long as he stood still and did not move his legs too far apart. He lowered himself into the warm water and pushed off from the wall, swimming slowly through the chamber and barely hearing as she lowered herself into the water behind him.

The walls of the secondary chamber glowed green and silver, a very Slytherin combination of colours that made him smirk slightly, until he turned around and watched her pulling herself out of the water, a stunning creature, more nymph than human. The water slid off her body and she flicked her wet hair behind her, spraying the water over her back. She was beautiful and perfect and so unattainable it was unfair. He turned back to the moss and smiled sadly to himself. She would never look at him if she knew what was on the inside of his thigh.

“Wow…it’s…wow!” She sounded breathless, excited, impassioned. And it was killing him. He felt his cock stir and had to turn away, stroking the moss lightly with his fingertips.

“It is rather beautiful isn’t it? The first time I collected this moss, I realised that it was the softest and most beautiful thing I had ever touched. Feel it. Carefully now, the effects can be quite potent even in this form.” The moss was mostly used these days in the Lumos Maxima potion but it had other effects, specifically the fact that it was stronger than Veritaserum if it was agitated and released its spores. She stroked her fingers against the moss and then stepped closer to him.

“What are you trying to hide from me Severus? It’s not your scars…oh, it is isn’t it? There’s a specific scar you don’t want me to see isn’t there?” She touched his shoulder and turned him to look at her. He nodded sharply and she frowned slightly, her forehead creasing. She raised her hand to his neck, lightly touching the scars from the snake bite.

“Not this one. You rarely cover it now anyway. And you know I was there, I saw it happen.” He swallowed, nodding as she moved, her hand tracing over the contours of his chest, trailing her fingers over where the scar split his nipple, down to his stomach. He sucked in a tight breath, sucking his stomach in and she huffed a breathy laugh as she circled his navel.

“Well you are definitely not hiding these from me then…so what are you hiding Severus?” Her hands trailed down lower, burying gently in the hair at the base of his cock and he whined, his breath coming in little pants. He shook his head and groaned as she moved to her knees, rubbing her cheek lightly against the length of his cock. He groaned again and, in a moment of pure trust, spread his legs so she could see the scar that he had tried to hide.

“Mudblood Lover? Oh Severus…” She leaned forward and then, in a move that shocked him, she kissed the scar on his inner thigh. He moaned, wondering what the hell had gotten into her, and thanking his lucky stars that something obviously had. He felt her tongue touch the letters of the second word and he hissed through his teeth. She looked up at him and their eyes caught. He knew then what he needed. He wrapped his fingers in her head and tugged lightly, pulling her to her feet.

“If you don’t…If you don’t want this, stop me now.” He whispered hoarsely as he bent to her, his lips just a breath away. She groaned slightly, raising up on tiptoe to touch his lips with hers. His hand released her hair and he lifted her, turning them so her back was against the moss, a fitting cushion for them as she wrapped her legs around his waist, adjusting herself and sliding him inside her in one thrust. She hissed and moaned as he seated himself fully inside her.

“Hermione this…this won’t last long. It has…It has been a long time.” He gasped as the spores began to be released by the moss as he moved into her, thrusting and pushing into her, moaning against her throat.

“It can last longer next time. Fuck me Severus, pound into me, just do it…” She pushed her heels into his back, squeezing around him as he pounded into her at her words. He lowered one hand, flicking his fingers against her clit as he got closer and closer to the edge. He roared his completion and she followed him over the precipice. As he came down from the greatest high he had ever known, he looked at her, face flushed, lips parted, pupils blown wide, and knew that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He wanted to tell her but only two words passed his lips, echoing around the cave with her laughter.

“Next time?”


End file.
